#which is literally mike wheeler core

[lovemikewheeler]

Stranger Things Pokémon Teams Part 2: Mike Wheeler (LONG POST)

Hello hello!! I’m really exited to share this team with you guys since I put a lot of thought into each member of his main party :) but before I start I wanna give a quick shoutout to this Tumblr user that reblogged my post and pointed out a detail I didn’t notice before

Vileplumes petals looking like the demogorgon’s mouth makes it so much better and I really appreciate blitzer91 pointing this detail out, which makes that pick so much better in my opinion :D and the poison atmosphere point is also really clever as well! Thank you for giving me a different perspective I really appreciate it!!

So when thinking of Mike Wheelers team, I pictured him to have a lot of Pokemon who have brute-force attacks (not all of them) but I can imagine he has a reckless fighting style compared to the rest of his friend group. Not to say he wouldn’t be clever at times, but he would use high-stakes moves for high-rewards in battle.

BACKGROUND:

For some quick background on my Stranger Things Pokemon AU (which I’m currently writing the first chapter for) the core 4 are all grown up and once went on a Pokemon journey as children together. In modern day, Dustin is the professors assistant (Professor Clark), Lucas is the electric type gym-leader for Hawkins, Will is an artist who does Pokemon Contests, and Mike is a former member of the Elite-four. He resined his position to go back home and help his family one year ago, and lost the spark for Pokemon battles in the process.

He rediscovers his love for battling after having a “friendly” competition with his friend Lucas (which turns competitive quickly) and he gets the idea for the core 4 to go one one last journey before they are officially adults. The whole party disagrees with this at first, however once Mike was able to convince Will to come with him, the rest of the party followed. If you’re wondering, YES, this fanfic will have byler on the side =] and double YES, they will have a lot of tension (in a cute/romantic way) during the adventure, they recruit Jane and Max during their journey.

First Pokémon:

Aegislash was introduced in the Kalos region (I don’t particularly care for gen 6 but that’s beside the point) but if I didn’t use this Pokemon it would have been a huge missed opportunity. He’s literally a paladin in DND, he holds a shield in Will’s drawing, this couldn’t be any more on the nose. This would be the first Pokémon he would send out, setting the tone for the fight and how he leads the party with heart, he leads the party with his shield. So he send out Aegislash to lead his Pokémon.

Aegislash is a steel/ghost type

Move set: a closer look:

Sword Dance: sharply increases the Pokémon’s attack stats, by two stages. He would use this at the beginning of the battle to set the tone, he would prioritize raising Aegislash’s attack stats since they are much lower than its defense stats. Again, his aggressive and offensive play-style

Iron Head: a steel-type attack move that has a 30% chance of the opponent flinching, would be his second move, hoping to flinch his opponent to get a one-up on them

Shadow Claw: Mike as a trainer definitely prioritizes his attacks more than any of his other stats, with training each of his Pokémon to have high attack, Aegislash would know shadow claw because he not only acknowledges that he needs a ghost-type move to balance his team, but shadow claw is a physical attack move, benefiting to his strength

Iron Defense: after so many Pokémon battles, Mike realized brute-force will not win him every match. He more so uses defensive moves such as iron defense as a safety net. Iron defense sharply raises the Pokémon’s defense by two stages

Second Pokémon:

Now I have a kinda funny story on how I feel like Mike and Golduck meet. When he was young, at the beginning of his journey, he ran into a Psyduck that wouldn’t leave him alone, at first he thought it was annoying, but he eventually started to like the Psyduck and took it in as his own Pokémon. Now it is evolved and Mike and Golduck are pals for life (and yes, Golduck is never kept in the Pokeball lol) I just feel like it’s his luck that he would find a Psyduck that would be obsessed with him and would follow him around.

Golduck is a water type

Hydro Pump: high-risk water move (his exact play style) and the high reward is instantly killing his target because of how overpowered his team is (those poor kids who had to fight him when he was in the Elite four) just imagine “die you piece of shit!” “Mike you’re fighting a child…”

Psychic: powerful psychic type move could also lower their special defense if lucky, but has a base power of 90 which is really strong

Whirlpool: takes damage from the target overtime and traps them in a whirlpool. Takes health from them every turn.

Ice Punch: does Mike have much strategy? No, not really. However he can make some smart decisions. He has an ice-type move just in case someone chooses to use a grass-type against his Golduck. Also has a 10% chance of freezing the target

Third Pokémon:

There is no doubt Mike doesn’t love using Luxray in battle, it has an exceptional attack stat and it’s also blue and yellow *cough cough* blue and yellow… *cough* byler colors… *cough cough* I’m sorry I couldn’t help it the joke was there so I had to. According to many Pokédex entries, Luxray is capable of spotting hidden prey and can see through solid objects. This reminds me of how Mike never looses sight of what’s important to him, even if he messes up or screws up somehow he always runs back apologizing to a certain someone… I wonder who that could be. Also it has the vibes of season 4 Mike when he dressed inspired by Eddie.

Also also… Luxrays shiny form is yellow, it’s yellow. I could make more byler jokes but I won’t, it writes itself

Luxray is an electric type

Move set: a closer look

Wild Charge: his “big” move that also damages his Pokemon with a recoil. Has a 90 base power

Crunch: he needed more variety other than just electric-type moves. So I thought crunch would be a solid addition

Volt Switch: used to attack then Luxray switches out with another Pokémon, would work to Mikes advantage since Luxray has high speed.

Electric Terrain: makes electric-type moves stronger for 5 turns, which makes his wild charge stronger

Fourth Pokémon:

Krookodile is just a Pokémon I just feel like he would use. Krookodile, like Luxray, has an extremely high attack stat that can be used well offensively. It is often described as a “very violent Pokémon” in many Pokédex entries. Also it’s wearing shades and it reminded me of when Mike wore shades to California.

Krookodile is a ground/dark type

Move set: a closer look:

Earthquake: deals a lot of damage, doubles when the target is underground.

Dig: Digs underground the first turn, and attacks the second

Crunch: has a 20% chance of lowering the targets defense, base power of 80

Sandstorm: creates a Sandstorm for 5 turns, slowly chips away at the targets heath (only exceptions are rock, ground, and steel types and some specific Pokémon abilities)

Fifth Pokémon:

Lucario is one of my favorite Pokémon so I may be bias :,) but they are said to be extremely loyal and can read people’s aura and how they feel. Mike is a loyal friend who cares for others, especially the ones closest to him. According to Pokémon Shield: “Only Trainers who have justice in their hearts can earn this Pokémon’s trust”

Lucario is a fighting/steel type

Move set: a closer look

Close Combat: powerful move, however decreases Lucario’s defense and special defense by one stage every time it is used

Aura Sphere: deals damage and ignores accuracy, so it always lands (unless the target is using fly or dig, or something like that)

Sword Dance: I already explained this move above so I won’t torment you guys by explaining it again :,)

Metero Mash: steel type move that deals damage, and has a 20% chance of raising Lucario’s attack stat

Sixth Pokémon:

Charzard is a fitting match for him for a couple reasons. Firstly, he’s a dragon which is a reference to Mike being a dungeon master in DND. Plus he’s a dragon, like the dragon in Wills painting, where he was the heart. He is the last Pokémon Mike sends out, because he is the backbone of his team.

Charzard is a fire/flying type

Move set: a closer look:

Flare Blitz: another high risk move that deals a lot of damage, however has a horrible recoil for Charzard. Charzard looses 1/3 of whatever damage he does to the target

Flamethrower: Will destroy most Pokémon with 1 or two uses of this move, and has a chance of burning the target

Air Slash: deals damage to the target, has a 30% chance of confusing the opponent as well

Thunder Punch: to protect itself from water-type Pokémon, also with a chance of paralyzing the opponent

BONUS: Their Pokeballs :D

Poke ball: standard ball

Dusk ball: used to catch Pokemon in caves or dark places

Great ball: higher performance than the standard ball, most likely caught closer to the beginning of his journey

Quick ball: has the highest rate of catching if used in the first move

Ultra ball: highest success rate poke ball

Since when he was an elite four member, he specialized in ground/rock type Pokémon, he also has a Tyranitar, Garchomp, and a Aggron that he sometimes switches into his party

Thank u for reading!! :D if you were unable to tell, I love Pokemon and I’m a nerd

next is Lucas !!

[lucystark12]

mike wheeler and jaime lannister are the same character and that also means byler is real 🥳

my last post about game of thrones versus stranger things where i talked about writing and what went wrong with dan and david did pretty well so i figured id elaborate just a bit on my quick side note i had in there about mike reminding me of jaime because it’s something i literally cannot shake. they are so similar it causes me extreme amounts of stress. and im on a two hour flight so i have time to explain it all to you 🥳🤗

to begin, my favorite stranger things characters are mike and nancy and my favorite game of thrones characters are sansa and jaime. if you already see a pattern, then you’re on the right track, because yes, i am a believer in the misunderstood character who is widely hated amongst fans but is arguably the best written one in the given source material. sansa and nancy are both fundamentally similar characters- they both start out as naive girls who are very singularly focused on their reputation and how they’re perceived by the people around them. this is evident in nancy’s relationship with steve and with basically every single action sansa takes in season one of game of thrones. through being forced into a dangerous environment however, both characters learn to shed the ideas they had about what it means in their given world to be “successful” and “important.” i tend to love characters like that because their so realistic. even if we aren’t all being abused by kings or shooting demegorgans, most of us can relate to wishing we were something we weren’t and having to learn the hard way that it’s just better to be yourself

i just wanted to get the nancy sansa pipeline out of the way first before i talk about mike and jaime, because where nancy and sansa are similar, jaime and mike are practically twins.

let’s look at both characters at the beginning of their respective story-

- mike is 12 years old and knows close to nothing except for the fact that he wants to be able to protect the people he cares about. throughout the first season, we see mike’s guilt for not being able to find will metaphorically eat him alive, coming to a head at the cliff scene where when his other best friend is in threat of being harmed, he decides that he would rather die than not be able to save someone he cares about again.

- jaime is mike on a twenty year delay, but his story begins about where mike is at in ~season 3. however, when jaime was about 15, he was appointed to the kings guard, a position he partly sought out to be close to cersei (his affair partner (and sister but that’s a conversation for another day)) (also, mike acts the way he does when will goes missing partly because he’s lost somebody he subconsciously loves too and if you don’t think mike has been subconsciously in love with him this whole time ily but womp womp ur wrong) but also partly sought out because of his notions of what it meant to be a knight- it means that you’re fighting for the people and essentially saving as many as you possibly can. jaime is a character who cares very much about the people around him, similarly to mike. jaime’s situation comes to a similar head when he kills the king to prevent him from essentially bombing the capital city and killing half a million innocent people, which in doing so he puts his own life and reputation at risk

these characters are both so similar because they both value life. they are willing to sacrifice themselves and their reputation in the interest of other people. this is who they both are at the core of their person. however, at some point throughout their arc they both go back on their previous behaviors. they don’t so much regret the way they behaved, but the pressures about their roles that have been put on them by society lead them both to believe that their behavior is wrong in some way.

with mike, i’m talking about how affectionate (?) he was with will in season two. i’m naming what happened after the whole hospital “best thing i’ve ever done” sequence and before season three as mike going through the same thing jaime does in the period between when he kills the king and when the show starts. i think in both of these time frames, the two of them start to have this realization based on the people around them that what they did was wrong and won’t be widely accepted. jaime’s king slaying was treasonous and mike realizes that his love confession coded monologue to will in the hospital wasn’t necessarily normal behavior. this is also the exact time period in which the raegan bush election is happening. they literally probably voted during season 2. id also like to point out that both of them come from very rigid and strict families. and if you’re denying me this for mike, they have a raegan bush sign in their yard.

now we pick up in season 1 for jaime and season 3 for mike. this is where im going to bring up the singular most important part of both of their respective arcs- the love triangle. season 1/3 are the most important times for both melvin and jercei (?). melvin is at peak affection, and basically mike’s entire story for a good portion of this season revolves around her. this is basically the peak of jercei because it’s right before they get separated and their whole dynamic changes. but uh oh! there’s trouble in paradise for both! suddenly mike and el are broken up and jaime and cersei are separated by the war of the five kings. this next part bleeds into season 2/3 for jaime and season 4 for mike, when mike and el are quite literally separated.

so, both of them are separated from side one of their love triangle, who both are using as a gateway to solve what they think is their biggest flaw- jaime his narcissism and mike his sexuality. then, and this is one of my favorite little parallels, they are both literally escorted home by the other side of the triangle, where “home” (hawkins for mike, kings landing for jaime) serves to say the truth about who they are as people that they weren’t quite ready to face before they set off on their respective physical journeys. (mikes trip to california, jaimes push north)

obviously in stranger things mike and will literally go back to hawkins together. in game of thrones, jaime gets captured by the opposing army and is escorted back to the capital by a knight for the opposing army, brienne, under the condition that he will safely return the king’s sisters to him. throughout both of their returns home, they both are forced to come to terms with their feelings just a little bit. jaime admits the truth of his kingslay to brienne, and mike is given the painting. i don’t think mike has put ANY of the dots together on the painting yet, but once he does, this will serve as a HUGE influence on his character development and relationship with will (another thing i could talk about for hours). then they both get home, and jaime’s view starts to shift just a little bit… he starts thinking “hey wait… maybe brienne is onto something. maybe i don’t have to be so terrible all the time and conform to what society wants me to be.” now obviously we don’t know if mike is thinking this way yet, but my guess is that he probably will start having a similar thing next season.

the reason both brienne and will are so important to their character arcs are because in the context of the love triangle or decision their romantic interest is making, they serve to symbolize non conformity and embracing the truth about who you are and what you stand for. brienne isn’t conventionally attractive like cersei and actively goes against what was expected of women at the time. being with will would make him a part of a gay relationship, which was very nonconformist at the time. where cersei and eleven serve in the relationship to show pretending, insecurity, and lies since they are literally the exact opposite of brienne and will. and guess who doesn’t lie? FRIENDS.

so, what i’m saying is that will is essential to ending mike’s character arc just like brienne was to jaime, and that if stranger things fumbles the bag and doesn’t make it happen like game of thrones did, then mike will live in infamy as an unfinished character who had a stupid ending just like jaime did.

also, i am a “jaime should have killed cersei and then died in the fire with her” truther and similarly believe that mike should sacrifice himself in the last summer to come full circle to the sacrificial person he used to be. i also don’t believe in happy endings because they’re boring ❤️

this is why im SO FUCKING NERVOUS about mike. i’m literally having ptsd god help me! 🤗🤗 pls matt and ross learn from the mistakes of your elders and break the game of thrones curse!! as daenerys targaryen would say- BREAK THE WHEEL!!

[creature-wizard]

The Strange Claims of Svali, the Fake Illuminati Defector

For anyone who happens to be new here, Svali is a fake ex-Illuminati programmer who claimed that she was part of a global conspiracy that was deliberately inducing dissociative identity disorder in all of its members. If you've ever heard of stuff like color/metal/gemstone programming, or fictive programming, that comes from Svali.

I have an update on Svali's own sources of inspiration, though - a lot of the stuff I initially thought that she'd come with herself appear to be sourced from How The Illuminati Create An Undetectable Total Mind Controlled Slave by Fritz Springmeier and Cisco Wheeler. This book proposes that the Illuminati is deliberately creating alters in people for the purpose of turning them into perfect slaves, and claims that modern media is used in the process.

My general statement that the conspiracy theorists in the DID community are sourcing their info from Svali is still accurate, because it's clearly quoting directly from her rather than from Cisco and Springmeier's much longer, more elaborate work. However, a lot of stuff that I initially believed came from Svali is definitely sourced from this book, which taking a glance at it, is even more ridiculous than the shit Svali claims. (And yes, she clearly got the idea that autism is caused by SRA from this book, which claims that autism is increasing because SRA is increasing. Fuck you, Fritz Springmeier and Cisco Wheeler.)

And once again, Svali's claims are also clearly influenced by discredited people such as Mike Warnke and Lauren Stratford. At the core, she's pushing the same Satanic Panic bullshit Evangelical Christians were cooking up and pushing in order to demonize anyone who wasn't a conservative (and particularly Evangelical) Christian, and scare people who already were conservative Christians into remaining such. Most of the claims were basically repackaged antisemitism and witch panic, just updated to be more plausible and relevant to audiences of the day.

In part six of the second part of her... interview, I guess? She claims that Bohemian Grove is an Illuminati thing. For those who don't know, conspiracy theorists basically believe that satanists perform human sacrifices to Molech there, whom they claim the giant owl represents. As far as I can tell, a lot of this goes back to a man named Paul Bonacci, who claimed to be a victim in the Franklin child prostitution ring allegations, which was purely a product of the Satanic Panic. Bonacci apparently claimed that he'd seen a snuff film made there. Worth noting, the Satanic Panic was big on the idea that all of these snuff films were being made, but there is literally zero evidence of such a thing.

Svali complains about people refusing to believe that SRA is real and dismissing the "evidence." For example:

You can show them a site with pentagrams, buried bones, and other evidence, and they would say, "Oh, that is just teenagers playing around".

Uh, yeah, Svali, it probably is just teenagers playing around. Teenagers do that kind of thing. Also, if the Illuminati was so good at covering its tracks, why would we find evidence like this? Seriously, why would a hypercompetent global cult leave such a mess?

Didn't think this one through, did ya?

In part seven, Svali talks about alleged Illuminati symbols. She claims that phoenixes and eagles (especially the German eagle) are symbols of the Illuminati, and claims that phoenixes symbolize the resurrection rituals where members' hearts are stopped and restarted with CPR, then told that Baal or another demon brought them back.

Next she claims that butterflies symbolize monarch programming. For those who don't know, a lot of conspiracy theorists believe in Project Monarch, which allegedly evolved out of MK-Ultra. Conspiracy theorists claim that any time you see a picture of a model or a celebrity wearing a butterfly, that means they're under monarch mind control, because they believe that the Illuminati has some weird spiritual obligation to tell the public what they're doing, even if it's not in a way the general public will understand. Or they supposedly do it to mock so they can giggle at them for not understanding the symbols they allegedly put "in plain sight."

Either way it's really ridiculous, and basically comes out of conspiracy theorists making something out of nothing. Since there's never any real evidence for these conspiracies, they have to fabricate it by claiming that things you can find anywhere are actually secret conspiratorial symbols.

She also claims that the Great Seal of Solomon is used at the "highest rituals" to invoke the demonic. Which, I mean, this is a symbol used in the context of demonolatry, but like, it has nothing to do with any kind of conspiracy, and much less originates from a global satanic conspiracy cult.

She claims that earth, wind, and fire (but somehow not air?) are Illuminati symbols?

Earth, water, and fire: these three are used in a lot of ceremonies. Check out how many Saturday a.m. cartoons use this concept. You'd be amazed. In fact, "The Fifth Element" movie was based on it.

Ma'am, you're gonna be shocked to learn that the classical elements were literally just what people used to reckon the natural world was made out of. It's been part of culture outside of occult contexts for thousands of years now.

She claims that the Illuminati is big on Greek and Roman symbols like... lightning bolts. Like uhhh yeah Zeus is associated with lightning bolts, but since when are lightning bolts, per se, a major Greco-Roman symbol? I dunno, this is very ridiculous and thank goodness we're getting closer and closer to the end.

Next she claims that the Illuminati runs the porn industry and produces CSEM, and claims that, "If a profit is being made off of human suffering, you can trace the chain back somewhere to these people."

She claims that they have money and lawyers for years and have infiltrated the governments and the media, and that they "run our financial institutions." Ma'am you're literally just spreading repackaged antisemitism here.

Oh and of course they're working on bringing in the Antichrist:

They are working towards bringing in a new leader, who will usher in a Luciferian reign of joy, prosperity, and rewards to the faithful. Almost an Elyssian type paradise. Of course, the brutality would continue, and those who oppose his reign are to be hunted down and converted or destroyed, but the followers will be so happy and content that they believe these holdouts will want to come over to their side. Sounds unbelievable, but true.

But she claims that they can be defeated because they are arrogant and believe they can overcome God. And also because a lot of them really don't like all of the abuse they're doing and can be persuaded to leave by telling them that they don't have to hurt people anymore.

In part eight, she claims that another name for the New World Order is "the Fourth Reich." So basically she's proposing that everyone who isn't a conservative Christian is secretly a Nazi, or might as well be.

Bluhhhhhhh.

Anyway we're finally getting to the more entertaining bits of this e-book - the demonic shapeshifting. Hang in there, it's coming next post.

[funkylittlewitch]

they’re so powerful......mwah!!

[positivelybyler]

so i've been seeing ppl talking about finn wolfhard "love songs" playlist on spotify and how he made it for byler. (he also made a playlist for his character richie so making this wouldn't be out of the blue for him).

i honestly thought it was a stretch at first but after further analysis... it's too perfect to not relate to byler (unless finn wolfhard has a love triangle situation going on himself).

anyways here's my analysis of each song on the playlist! (i'll only be talking about 6/7 because one of the songs is in an east asian language that i do not understand!!)

1. Boys Don't Cry - The Cure

so the first song on the playlist is boys don't cry which has been talked about and analysed multiple times because we see a poster of the song in wills bedroom. and although people say that it's will song, i believe that it relates to mike more! especially in the lyrics:

I would say I'm sorry if I thought that it would change your mind.

But I know that this time I have said too much, been too unkind.

we all know that mike wheeler says stuff he doesn't mean to (evident in the s3+4 byler fight) and he has a hard time apologizing. not only that but we don't really see mike getting emotional! will isn't afraid to cry but mike is. anyways this song has been analyzed lots already so moving on to #2

2. Let Her Go - Mac Demarco

i'm not gonna lie, when i first saw this song i was shocked to the very core because of how much it realtes to the mikewillel love triangle. the first lyrics being:

Tell her that you love her, if you really love her.

But if your heart just ain't sure, let her know.

obviously mike can't tell her that he loves her because he doesn't even know if he truly loves eleven or not. (and when mike did end up telling eleven that he loves her, there is obvious hesitation coming from mike and even el didn't believe him).

Growing by the hour, love just like a flower.

But when the flower dies, you've got to say goodbye and let her go.

hello???? literally the flowers that mike got her in ep2 and then we see the same flowers dead in the last episode. (not to mention this is when el hasn't talked to mike much in a couple days and their relationship is rocky). so is mike finally going to let el go?

3. Lovesong - The Cure

ok this song is absolutely adorable just look at the lyrics:

Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am home again.

Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am whole again.

Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am young again.

Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am fun again.

at the beginning of season 4, we see mike being closed off and definitely not like himself. he was a shitty friend to will at the airport and rink-o-mania because el was by his side. but once el had to leave to regain her powers, we started seeing more of the old mike as he spent time alone with will. i assume that will makes mike feel like he's home again even though they're in a completely different state and he makes him feel young again just how they were in season 2 (especially with the crazy together parallel in ep9).

However far away, I will always love you.

However long I stay, I will always love you.

i mean, come on even when they were in different states, they still loved each other! sure things were rocky the first few days mike came to california but then they went right back to being inspeperable!

4. Africa - Toto

this song has been used before in stranger things specifically in season 1 episode 1 in a stancy scene. and although there are multiple meanings behind this song, the more accurate one to our situation is "This song tells the story of a man who comes to Africa and must make a decision about the girl who comes to see him." in this case, mike comes to california and has to make a decision about el.

Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you.

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you.

we all know that el is infatuated with mike and is the first to meet him at the airport and she has clearly been waiting for spring break in order to see him again. as for the second line, mike and el are obviously bonded by trauma which makes it so difficult for the pair to break up. mike will have to go through a lot in order to end things with el in order to be with will.

I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become.

we all know that mike has internal struggles and lashes out at people (especially will) when he didn't mean to.

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had.

and when they both find out that their love is requited, then what!!

5. Inbetween Days - The Cure

this song is about having to choose between two people, and feeling guilty because you don't know which one to choose! basically a love triangle.

And I know I was wrong, when I said it was true.

That it couldn't be me and be her in between without you.

those lyrics are basically this image. i really like this random person's interpretation of the song cause its so accurate: "it's the story of a guy being in now stagnant relationship with a girl but pining for someone from the past that he parted ways with, now he's realizing that the current relationship couldn't work without this someone always getting in the way." it perfectly describes their love triangle.

i also want to add how the singer is talking about apologizing for saying the wrong thing to his current girlfriend (which is very mike wheeler core) but based on what we saw in the last episode, el isn't taking any of mikes shit! (good for her).

6. Lost Weekend - The So So Glos

ok so i actually love this song, i have it in my playlist lol and i never realized how much it applied to byler!! this song is generally about youth and growing up with someone.

You and I, riding high, in a landfill building castles.

castle byers, obviously and i'd like to think that mike and will spent a lot of time in their youth there together!

And we can't speak, cause we're in too deep.

We've grown up eighty-sixed and ended up like this.

clearly mike and will aren't willing to confess their love for each other (and this is sort of on the nose) because they're so deeply in love with one another. also, eighty-sixed is slang for being thrown out or discarded which could relate to mike and will being heavily bullied when they were younger (which is canon). and then they went to each other for comfort and continue to go to each other to this day.

anyways that's all of the analysis i have in me! even if this isn't true, it was still fun to look at the lyrics of these songs and try to figure out how they relate to byler lol (and if it is true then finn wolfhard is one bold man).

[brionysea]

soooo vale of shadows on mike's playlist

Type 6 and insane

this line made me wonder if they were talking about the enneagram personality types and if that one specifically applied to mike, so i looked it up and...

yes. i'm gonna take that as an immediate yes

like. these could literally be from the personality section of a mike wheeler wiki page

i'm lowkey convinced that the duffers must have looked at enneagram types when making these characters just like i do

and then there's this bit...

which, if the manifestation theory is true (which the rest of the song heavily supports but that's a different post), explains everything

They are often filled with a nameless anxiety and then try to find or create reasons why.

do you ever notice how much better mike is in situations where he has something to fight against? he's not drifting. he's solid. he has purpose, he has the necessary intelligence and strategic capabilities and leadership skills, he has constant opportunities to prove his own bravery and importance to the people whose opinions he values (and therefore himself)

in normal life, he flounders. he can't convince his parents to let them play their game for 20 more minutes. he doesn't have anything productive to channel his grief into. he avoids his friends. he caves in on himself

that's just an interesting contrast, isn't it?

the annual tragedy coming to hawkins every year also serves to make him feel more like the person he wants to be - a brave knight, fearlessly fighting against the forces of evil - and he can carry that reassurance with him back to the mundane, suburban life that never makes him feel anything but trapped and worthless

but it never sticks, because his insecurities keep getting ripped right back open again, so the monsters keep coming back

this exchange from "the source" (👀) is also particularly interesting in this new context

Mike: They're conspiring against me.

Will: That's what you're concerned about right now?

Mike: It's not my main concern. It's just a sub-concern.

the implication is that mike's being ridiculous for worrying about the made-up idea of max "corrupting" el, but wouldn't it be fucked up if the main problem that he's supposed to be worrying about was made up too? if he's been the titular source the whole time?

idk, i think about the character consequences of a reveal like this all the time. and how obvious it would be in hindsight

but back to enneagrams:

once they establish a trustworthy belief, they do not easily question it, nor do they want others to do so

and this just. makes me a little bit crazy. intelligent late-comer characters like robin and erica aren't allowed to work with mike when he's making those bizarre leaps in logic that match up perfectly with how the UD works and what its weaknesses are, because their tendency to ask smart person questions -> "hey, how the fuck does he know that?" -> the whole game falls apart (and crushes mike with guilt in the process)

seriously, imagine a research scene like the one robin had in the library with nancy, but with mike instead. there wouldn't be an "i don't know" response to what they're looking for, there would be a dead-on response that turns out to correlate exactly with the magic answer they find half an hour later - if they even need to do research in the first place, because mike tends to just make shit up on the spot that's immediately accepted as the show's lore. robin would find that so weird and she would not keep it to herself, especially if it's backed up by a million other instances of mike knowing things he shouldn't like he does every season

the lack of familiarity with mike and how he operates is exactly what would lead to those weird patterns being questioned, because there's no instinctive "well, that's just mike" response to fall back on like there is with the core cast

this paragraph pretty much single-handedly convinced me that the show will end when mike's internal world comes into balance (that or when he dies, which i do and don't like thinking about in equal measure)

think about it: if this whole thing has just been one teenager's insecurities unknowingly being brought to life so that he can beat them back with a stick, when will it stop? when will it end? when he gains the type of self confidence that naturally comes with growing up and growing into himself, or when they die with him

mike might be okay with his death in those circumstances, because he thinks everyone else will be better off without him on an objective level of "the horrors will leave my friends alone forever", but characters like dustin and will and lucas wouldn't let that happen in a million years, no matter what their reactions to mike creating the horrors otherwise are

this makes me even more convinced that the season 4 threat - the one that's the perfect opportunity to tell the internal voices that don't think you have what it takes to make it in the real world to go to hell, if you have the kind of danger-induced determination and self-belief that he does - came from, and was meant for, mike

it would be interesting to determine what level he's at each season, with 1 being the healthiest and 9 being the unhealthiest, but i can't wrap my head around it. if anyone else wants to, please go ahead!

[faeryworlds]

alwaysthesitter​:

“You never stopped loving me?” That alone had been a shock, though Steve didn’t want to bring up everything from their past at this moment. He knew it was a conversation they were going to have eventually if this was going to work. Both of them had made their mistakes, and though a lot had been pushed aside in order to forgive quickly due to literal lives being at stake, he knew there was some resentment still lingering. At least on his end. Nancy Wheeler had been unable to tell him that she loved him after Tina’s party and the ‘bullshit’ incident. To hear that she had ever loved him at all, yet alone never stopped, was shocking him to his core.

Instead he was just listening to her, being a good listener and actually hearing her, unlike in the past. Her hand in his, he gave it a squeeze as she spoke, giving a nod of understanding. “Seems like a lot of the men in Hawkins suck at communication.” He knew that Jonathan had grown distant, though part of him felt bad for the guy. It seemed like a lot had been happening in California that they didn’t even fully know about, and he recalled hearing Jonathan telling Nancy at the reunion that it hadn’t been safe to contact her. Yet Mike had flown out there just fine, so he didn’t know how much of that was true.

“Is it bad that I feel bad for Jonathan? Just a little. I mean, kind of. Not really.” He laughed lightly, shaking his head. In his eyes, Jonathan had stolen the love of his life right out from underneath him. But he knew he couldn’t be all upset with Jonathan for that, because it took two to tango, and Nancy had made that choice. Just like right now, she was choosing him. Hopefully meaning it this time. His lips curled into a smile at her comment of wanting him romantically, his free hand moving gently to her cheek, large palm resting over her pale skin. “….am I allowed to kiss you right now or is that too soon into our new relationship?” Slightly teasing, but also incredibly serious.

She was aware that she was unable to tell him she loved him back then at Tina’s party and now here she is telling him she never stopped loving him. And she doesn’t really want to elaborate of how she never stopped loving him when she hasn’t really told him before. It was just complicated. There’s no reason to bring up the past right, it’s about the present about how they feel now. She wouldn’t jump in the water for anyone like she did when she jumped right in the water to save Steve in the Upside Down. “Maybe it’s a Hawkins men thing. Not being good in communicating to their girlfriends.” It was for the best that she broke up with Jonathan and she didn’t wanted to string him along when she has feelings for Steve. That wouldn’t be fair to him, and well he had been distant and nancy just wasn’t having it. 

“I knew you didn’t feel bad for him.“ Nancy wasn’t even aware at first that Steve still had feelings for her until he told her about it, which she didn’t saw coming, now here they are actually being back together. Who would have thought that, not her that’s for sure. Seeing that smile of him made her smile. The moment she felt his hand onto her cheek she closed her eyes for a brief moment before she opened them again to look at him. 

Stepping even closer towards him. “Steve Harrington asking for permission to kiss me. There I thought you would just kiss me without asking.” She teased him as she laughed. “You are definitely allowed to kiss me right now.” A small grin appeared on her face. “Just to clarify, this does mean we’re back together right?” Knowing very well that it means they are just she couldn’t help to tease him a bit more. 

[withacapitalp]

Nancy for the character question ask!

favorite thing about them

BADDIE NANCY!!!!! She shoots at a demogorgon and she fights all the time for everything. I also love that Nancy cares about Mike!!! Give us more of their sibling relationship in s5 PLEASE

least favorite thing about them

Ough I think that Nancy's one track mind can really be her downfall

favorite line

“Girls this age are dumb. But give ‘em a few years, and they’ll wise up. You’re gonna drive them nuts.”

Lmao Nancy doesn't have a ton of lines that stand out to me? But her and Dustin at the snowball and her trying to help him feel better? one of the sweetest scenes in the show

brOTP

Barb and Nancy!!! Eddie and Nancy!!! give her a best friend!!!! I also really like Nancy and Robin as buds!!! Them as friends is so greatttttt

OTP

Stoncy but in general I think that Nancy doesn't need to be in a romantic relationship. Nancy needs to learn how to take care of herself in a way that isn't detrimental to everyone around her, and she needs to acknowledge her pain and work through it instead of letting it run her. Nancy and Therapy that's my OTP LMAO

nOTP

Ronance in most instances. I think it can be done, but it's rare that I actually like it

random headcanon

Nancy met Barb in ballet (they both have ballet related things in their house) Barb was terrible at it, and Nancy was really good, but they both tended to hide in the back and talk about books they were reading instead of paying attention.

unpopular opinion

Nancy's selfish. Yep I said it. Nancy is focused on what Nancy wants and what Nancy needs to do to prove herself/feel better (even though she never really feels better because she never lets herself hurt. She just wants to fix it without feeling it). There is so many moments where I'm just like girl what are you doing!!!! Nancy is so crazy focused on getting justice for Barb that she ignores NDAs she signed? Like it is pure plot convenience that she and Jonathan weren't arrested/shot for the shit they did in s2. No way on earth that wouldn't have serious ramifications. She's so angry at being put down by the men at the paper (rightfully!) that she gets both her and Jonathan fired (not rightfully!) and then doesn't care when he is upset. She does not get that he can't lose his job because his family literally relies on his income. Nancy stays with Steve when she wants to be with Jonathan because she doesn't want to be alone, and then lets him blame himself for their relationship failing? She should have been honest that she didn't want him.

I don't mind Nancy being selfish! I honestly think it's a really good thing because it is at her core. I think that she can get to self-focused from selfish as she grows, and we see that as s4 evolves, but like I hate that no one is allowed to say anything that might be seen as critical of Nancy because no many people hate her. I love Nancy!! she's super interesting to me! But Nancy is selfish, which makes sense, and makes her stay interesting to me

song i associate with them

Way Down We Go by Kaleo and Duet from the Omori OST

favorite picture of them

NANCY WHEELER FUCKING BADASS SHE IS SO IM SO OH MY GOD THE BISEXUAL FURY SHES A GODDESS SHES SO COOL

[willel]

This post doesn't have to do with Will, El, or the Byers but....

The writing for Mike at this point is really bothering me like... it feels like he doesn't have any major character conflicts except El or Will.

I LOVE what they did with Lucas. Lucas trying to balance being cool and loving sports vs loving dnd and being a nerd. It's not even a particularly selfish thing either, he was doing the whole "get popular" thing for his friends sake too, at least in his mind. Of course he has this thing going on with Max, but it's also just him trying to be there for her whether they're dating or not.

To him, she is as much as part of the crew as Dustin and Mike. Y'know? Seems to me after season 3 Lucas really learned his lesson and does not do the "ignore my friends for my girlfriend" shtick anymore.

Dustin has always had stuff going on other than girls so I don't even really need to discuss it.

Will has never had anything going on with girls and in reality his character almost entirely depends on himself/his mother so.

Even JONATHAN, a super neglected guy has SOMETHING going on other than Nancy. Struggling with his school decisions. His love life or his family life, location location location. This has always been his struggle but I do enjoy it. Just wish there was more of it. I'm just glad it's not entirely dependent on Nancy, but split between Nancy and his family stuff.

But... Mike....??? What is Mike struggling with other than his girlfriend? Sure his family is annoying but...? That conflict with being a nerd or being popular was quickly washed away by Eddie and immediately became irrelevant as he picked dnd over basketball and has not shown any signs of remorse or second thoughts.

For season 2 and season 3, Mike has had NO inner conflict that is only about him. Like, I will literally go a mile to pull stuff out of my ass to give a character the benefit of the doubt, but there is nothing.

Nancy (his sister in case you forgot) is similar to Jonathan as her character is about her future, her education, her not wanting to end up like her parents. All of that also balancing out with her love life.

But Mike doesn't seem to care about that conflict at all. It doesn't even seem like he notices it. Friendship??? As we can see in season 4 Mike is sorta willing to let a friendship crumble in favor of his love life... which already happened in season 3. And once again, he doesn't seem to care about friendships unless El is out of the picture which is very bothersome to me and shows lack of growth. Or depth?

Something is just... missing. I don't understand it.

Where is Mike Wheeler's arc? What drives him other than love for El? Where is his core?

[wibble-wobbegong]

okay i never check the tag or confessionals so im only experiencing via mutual posting but i cannot believe there are people who don’t think mike is a dynamic and complex character. MIKE WHEELER.

i’d say he’s literally the most complex character in the show. i know i say this all the time but mike isn’t the embodiment of any singular experience because he’s written so human. he’s got a strong will and he’s hard pressed to give up hope. he’s bad at talking to other people and expressing himself and people will follow him anyway because they see his determination and love and it inspires them too. like that’s LITERALLY what happened in season 1. mike’s moral compass leads him to think violence is wrong unless it’s in self defense against violence which is why he reacted so harshly at rink-o-mania. mike admires when violence is used to protect but he’s afraid when violence is used to harm first and that’s absolutely a result of troy and probably lonnie.

mike has an incredibly complicated relationship with el that cannot be divided into whether or not he loves her. he cares about her so deeply that it’s practically love but it isn’t familial or platonic or romantic but something else that came as a result of the things they went through together, good and bad. he wants to be her friend because he isn’t. he doesn’t have a relationship with her but he knows that at her core she’s very similar to him; protective and loving and strong willed. he admires her! but they don’t have a relationship. he wants a friendship, but he has to unpack a lot of his current perception about el and detach himself from her.

mike’s relationship with lucas and will and eddie and dustin and max are all like this too. he has complicated and different relationships with everybody. he’s angry with lucas for joining the basketball team, part of him understands why and part of him wants to be like lucas too. he’s angry with himself about it. he’s constantly being pulled apart in his relationship with will, having built a completely different perception of what he thinks will is saying versus what will thinks he’s saying and it’s caused massive communication issues and neither mike nor will are at fault for it. mike absolutely had a crush on eddie and wanted to accept himself the way eddie did, and i’d say a lot of his admiration had to do with the way eddie pulled him out of his isolation problem after the byers moved. eddie’s death is gonna crush him. mike and dustin haven’t gotten much time together over the course of most of the show but right now dustin is probably the only person who has any idea what’s actually going on in mike’s head because dustin has become a safe place. dustin still wants to play dnd, so mike has someone to lean on without being terrified of exposing himself while he regains confidence in his freak status. dustin and him don’t have deep, hard conversations but mike does tell things to dustin and wants him to do the same. mike’s relationship with max in s2 and s3 literally deserve their own post. like that dynamic is deeply rooted in mike’s insecurities and grief

mike himself has intense struggles with his mental health because of how aware he is. he understands his own feelings and what they mean, he has known he’s had feelings for will for a long time and has struggled with it constantly. he’s struggled with his sexuality because he’s aware he’s gay and can’t love el the way he’s supposed to no matter how hard he tries. he’s aware that he can’t stop loving will no matter how hard he tries. he’s aware of the fact that he looks at boys and never looks at girls because he’s been aware of who he is since at least post s2 and he’s tried to fix it and can’t. he started accepting himself and then the entire thing with s4 was him thinking will was returning his feelings and he was ready to break up with el at sbp and pursue that friendship but then he felt like he had to give el what ‘she’ needed and erased so much of that progress

mike was way too willing to walk off a cliff for dustin. you’re gonna look me in the eye and tell me the boy who set up that sauna plan in under five minutes, who managed to understand a hivemind he’s never directly interacted with, who managed to discover an alternate dimension just to save the people he loves couldn’t find a better way to diffuse that situation??? that he couldn’t even try? the mike we know would never have given into something like that so easily if he didn’t want to. part of him was doing it to save dustin, but he could’ve saved dustin another way. mike had just lost will, el, and lucas. he puts pressure on himself to save everybody and he ended up losing everyone and now dustin is in danger too. he needs to save dustin or else he’ll feel like a complete failure of a person. it’s about saving dustin, but it’s also about the fact that he doesn’t see value in himself outside of other people

i can’t even list everything here but mike is SO complicated. he’s hope and he’s tragic and he’s human. people just don’t want to admit that they refuse to try and understand difficult storylines and make you look outside of the norm you’re forced to look through. it’s about defying norms until you have to defy your own norms.

[stellariumcircus]

on will's painting + being the heart

obviously the literal depiction of will putting a literal heart on mike, the object of his affection, is cute and romantic and all BUT

i've seen a lot of people joke about how it's silly to call mike the heart when he really is just like 🧍‍♂️ a lot of the time

which is funny on a surface level but i think we've got to read the subtext here.

i don't think we're supposed to hear "mike is the heart" and hear "mike is the most important and action driving character of the group".

i think it's supposed to remind the audience (and mike himself) of who mike is as a character, especially during a time where his character arc has seemingly gone static from an outside perspective.

the painting says, literally: mike wheeler fights with his heart. mike wheeler fights by picking flowers, by jumping off cliffs, by biking in the rain. mike wheeler fights for and because of the people he loves.

that's the core of who he is. it also plays big part of where will's love for him comes from. mike cares deeply for the people he loves, and will sees that about him. it's a quiet way of fighting, so we're tempted to see him as passive. will sees it even when the audience doesn't.

we also see this mindset directly referenced in the song "being the heart". mike being the heart isn't an action, it isn't a speech, it isn't just leadership: it's an identity.

the painting is obviously a cute romantic gesture but more so will's way of reminding his best friend of who his true self is in a time where mike has become distant. because while will is obviously frustrated and in love, he is also still mike's best friend and can recognize when mike's going through a tough time. remember, true sight.

this is also a big clue in foreshadowing where mike's character will go in s5. driven by his heart into bravery, physically putting himself between danger and the people he loves. mike, the heart, between his friends and the monster. that's what we see in this painting.

this also makes me very concerned for mike's safety in s5. mike may be awkward, mike may not know how to navigate interpersonal relationships, but he isn't and has never been a coward. mike is not above sacrificing himself in a heartbeat if it means protecting his friends & family.

[shares-a-vest]

Alright, let's see if I can craft something mildly coherent about my precious boy Eddie Munson

Lengthy post (and spoilers) under the cut.

I talk about 'The Piggyback' contradicting some core elements of ST and character development, the use of Eddie throughout the season and what happens with him and the epilogue of the ep.

Why Exactly Did He Need A Redemptive Arc?

I can't help but see Eddie's death as a redemptive 'dying as the hero' arc. Why was this crucial for this character? The only people who disliked him was Jason and his friends - and they are antagonists of the Hawkins Squad throughout the season. Aaaaand they are positioned as bad people (and they got much worse in the last ep - the stuff with Jason and Lucas was fucked up). It's not like Eddie had to redeem himself to the Hawkins Squad either. They protected him throughout the season and then he jumped in Lover's Lake with the rest of the Fruity Four towards the end of Vol.1. The 'he needs to believe he's a hero'-moment already happened in the conversation with Steve in the Upside Down. Why repeat that and have him die? He never did a 'bad' thing - people only thought he did and we (the audience) knew his side/perspective, it's not like his character was ever up for debate.

Punishing 'The Freak' is a Contradiction

This is obviously where we get into queerbaiting territory. Eddie was a queer-coded character. His last moment with Steve was clearly going to be something directly to him but then he hesitated and instead just spoke about Vecna. I'll die on that hill. Eddie dying also completely ignores the countless parallels with Robin, an openly gay character.

What I think I hate the most about him dying was that we know that he isn't this evil 'freak' that the town and Jason label him. He uses 'freak' multiple times in a queer-coded manner - or perhaps just in an attempt to own the moniker for his own sake. But the season was so overtly critiquing the Satanic Panic of the 1980s through Eddie and Hellfire so I find it this MASSIVE contradiction to then kill the every character the Duffers are using to criticise/explore a damaging moment in American culture. I find it even more fucked-up seeing as Eddie is queer-coded because the obsession with the Satanic Panic (something 'happening' in US society that completely made up) happened simultaneous to the AIDS/HIV crisis (which was a very real issue).

I don't mean to sound like I need to be babied through tv, but for me ST has the whole good vs. evil in a fantasy or sci-fi manner running through it. And Eddie was never bad. Bad people (if we can categorise into that binary for a moment) thought he was bad/evil etc. And the town still thinks that, more so now that the 'murders' are news. Example: you can't tell me the dumb Wheeler parents knew who Eddie was beyond Mike talking about him (as the cool leader of Hellfire) and yet, now they are at home watching the tv seeing him portrayed as a murderer.

Throughout this series, people's differences are their strengths, they are embraced through stuff like the found-family trope and they find goodness in each other and FOR EACH OTHER. We literally saw that in 'The Piggyback' with the Jonathan/Will exchange and also El's whole arc of rejecting both Vecna's and Brenner's influences on her power. Mike's love for her (in terms of his and the party's more pure intentions about her powers) literally becomes the very element that resolves this season. I find it sooooooooo contradictory to be continually using these elements and peppering in other similar media (Eddie loving Lord of the Rings) throughout the season and then just completely go against that in this instance. I cannot see any reason why this was done.

The 'Two Days Later' is Dismissive

As more time passes and I consume more television, the more I think flashing forward as a conclusion/epilogue to a series or season within a single episode positively suck. I'm actively pissed off about the epilogue to 'The Piggyback'. You cannot tell me that the Hawkins Crew wouldn't have recovered Eddie's body, the fact that we didn't get that (or at least a reunion between Steve and Dustin) is soooooooo weird to me. I almost feel like at the last-minute Eddie was kinda cast aside. In these last two eps in general I found the pacing to be off where scenes with El and Brenner then El and Vecna to be excessively long rather than building tension (not saying I dislike El, I'm talking about the writing).

Possibly the biggest problem here was that there was no acknowledgement of any Hellfire members about Eddie other than the (genuinely touching) exchange between Dustin and Wayne. But then that was it. Where was a scene of Mike finding out? And to be a Steddie/Fruity Four feral for a moment, there was also NOTHING from Steve and Robin about him? The two people who totally embraced him into the crew and fought and plotted alongside him.

[post-modern-prometheus]

I was gonna ask you what the terrible opinions on our dearest children that have you so mad are but then I realised that really would be asking you to vague people lmao. You talked about people getting character 'fundamentals' wrong and all I really wanna know (since your takes are always SO GOOD), what are these 'fundamentals' that you wish more people understood? TALK TO ME ABOUT MY KIDS I MISS THEMMM

yeah i’m not gonna vague post but i saw such a horrible take on mike the other day and i was like. holy fucking shit what are you on. technically that’s vague posting but i’m talking about my best boy rn real quick. and no. it’s not gonna actually be quick.

mike is an emotional person. he’s got all these big and loud and confusing feelings inside of him. but the one that tends to find it’s way to the forefront of his mind the most is… love. mike, at his core, is just someone who loves his friends. and- in a way that is so similar to el which in it of itself is an interesting characterization that i might talk more about later bc i have mentioned it before- that can be dangerous because when people say love is blind, they were talking about mike wheeler blindly throwing himself into dangerous situations to protect the ones he loves.

one thing thing that almost pisses me off is when i see people act like mike doesn’t… like his friends? bc quite literally what the fuck. what the fuck. a lot of mileven shippers do this but to be frank, just as many byler shippers do it too. and as much as i’d like to keep shipping out of this discussion, i can’t, because mike’s a character who’s role has been diminished to “el/will’s boyfriend” both in the fandom spaces and the show. when the byers and el moved away, i was kinda excited to see how mike was going to operate apart from will and el. but then he’s running away to see them which, okay. presents its own unique story and character opportunities. so it’s fine. but like. he’s just got so much love for will and el and lucas and dustin (and hopefully one day for max) that it physically pains me to see people say that he doesn’t.

i’ve mentioned before that we tend to forget the “best friends” part of best friends to lovers. mike and will weren’t always in love romantically. for most of their lives, they’ve been in love platonically and that connection grew into what we see. i don’t even think the romantic feelings started until season two. and it just goes to show how little worth people see in friendships and platonic relationships, when i see them try to diminish mike’s friendships to build up his romances.

i just love him a lot okay because his emotions are so messy and he doesn’t understand them but he needs everyone to know how he’s feeling even if he doesn’t want to so he’s loud about it in the most dishonest ways possible and yeah sometimes he’s a jerk and oh yes is he annoying but one day he’s gonna finally open up and we’re gonna truly see his heart and then it’ll all be over for you bitches.

[quidfree]

I agree with everything you said about the finale of Stranger Things 4. The ending is rushed and kinda lacks of emotional impact (really annoying bc it could have been so much better, like El and Hopper reuniting).

I kinda think the Duffers want to keep everything vague as much as possible for, like they said, "the big reveal in ss5", "everything comes full circle",... there's been discussions and analysises where ss5 will go down but it's just based on small hints and subtexts. It's like the main role of ss4 is a set-up for ss5, like an 'open-ending' where every scenario is possible, which is hella confusing tbh.

I have to admit that I was rooting for Will and Mike in vol1, but Vol2 makes me realise that Michael Wheeler is really in need of character development (pls give my boy Will the protangonist era back)

Sorry for my rambling, but i do want to know your take on the character dynamics and what are your most favorite scenes?

ah anon sorry for not answering for like a week, i conflated this w my other stranger things ask and deluded myself into thinking i had

i agree w your finale thoughts- i don’t follow the media circus around the show much but i do get the impression s4 is meant to be set-up for s5, which is very annoying to me because if you’re a good writer set-up should not negate storytelling… there are many shows which use a season to set something up but still tell a compelling standalone story in that season!

re mike and will, i’m fairly neutral abt it, the same way i feel abt all the canon ships in stranger things- the kid ships are all sweet enough, although this season mike and el have been kind of tiring for me (in part because mike did p much nothing this season except be el’s kind of dumbass boyfriend). in any event i think will and mike both could do w a return to early season protag focus and that will deserves an actual coming out and general arc in s5. also you can do better, will!

response to your qs on dynamics and scenes beneath the cut :)

looove steve and his kids obviously- steve and dustin are a no-brainer, but i do wish the others got a couple of real moments with him too (as may be obvious bc i literally wrote that).

steve and robin are very fun. the whole older teen group was great this season, since their personalities were a nice mix- i have to say eddie and steve were really enjoyable together. their dual older brother energy to dustin was very cute. as was eddie’s flirting. or whatever that was meant to be.

on siblings- wish we got some mike and nancy interaction ever. glad lucas and erica got brief moments this season. jonathan and will bonding was very good if brief and a missed opportunity to talk abt the rainbow elephant in the room.

families except the bylers continue to be hilariously absent in the show. when can CPS be called on these people. mikes mom hugging him dramatically will not make me forget how bad of a parent they all are lol.

always enjoy the friendships between the kids- liked will and el a lot this season even tho it was tragically understated, loved mike and will seeing lucas again in hospital, and max’s memories of the group in dear billy. mike and will’s conversations were also admittedly good, despite the unrequited love of it all- they had a relationship core to the show once, so it still holds some weight. i do like lucas and max a lot but i wish lucas wasnt spent so much on Being There For Max hes forever sidelined for no good reason.

underwhelmed by the russia storyline in general- hopper grated on me in s3 and im always team joyce so kind of tired w her having to put up w him and murrays “oh you” vibes but i do enjoy their battle-readiness as a couple. didnt care much abt yuri or the other russian guy (dmitri?) bc it all felt so overdone.

fav scenes: obviously max escaping vecna to kate bush (deserving of her renaissance). the others are going to be random excerpts bc my mind is blanking. eddie telling steve “harrington will drive wontcha big boy” + steve telling nancy he has 6 kids already. the part in the finale where everyone jumps through to the upside down and then throws their weapons through too bc the montage was fun. el throwing the helicopter and then telling papa to choke. will singing neverending story. the ep 7 monologue where 1 reveals the whole plot to nancy (jamie campbell bower fun). the finale segment where everyone is kicking ass and nancy has a shotgun. the way will is like “what friends??” and el goes “stfu” in ep whatever it is. el and max’s reunion. etc.

[sevensided]

Fathers in Stranger Things

This recent conversation about family acceptance in ST has made me think a lot about fathers in the show. I believe that a central theme in the story is acceptance. Acceptance of the supernatural, acceptance of differences, acceptance of one another. This dovetails into other key themes - forgiveness, friendship, and love - but in the context of parents and, specifically, Mike and Will, I think acceptance is an interesting way to think about how fathers or father figures play in their eventual relationship.

Every father on the show is an absent figure. This is for two reasons: to illustrate how much more hands-off raising children was in the 80s; and to highlight the role mothers play in the development of our characters. This also links into broader, structural themes, such as heterosexuality, patriarchy, and gender roles. On a simple level, the fathers are absent because it is the mothers who do the child rearing. This absence, however, also reveals the lack of paternal support in the lives of our core characters, and as a result, the supplementation of father figures. This dovetails into a theme that carries throughout the show - that of found families - but when it comes to Mike and Will’s development, together and separately, this relates importantly to how they will come to see themselves as young, probably gay, men.

Fathers

To start, I’ll briefly overview the main fathers of the series. We can largely group them as absent but harmless, or absent and harmful.

Ted Wheeler is an apathetic feature in Mike’s life. He is typically involved in scenes that underscore the domestic discord of the Wheeler household, and his role is primarily to show how unhappy Karen is in their marriage, and how his children do not connect with him. While there are some indications that he cares for his children, these are not carried through onscreen and, for the most part, Ted does not participate in raising Nancy or Mike. 

Lucas’ father, Mr Sinclair, is presented once in association with his wife, Mrs Sinclair. Their breakfast table scene is used to show the dynamic of the Sinclair household, and for Lucas to ask his parents abstract advice on how to win Max back after their argument. Mr Sinclair makes some period-typical comments that are intended to be funny, but they also indicate that Lucas was brought up in a fairly stereotypical atmosphere (to paraphrase: “What do you do if mom’s mad at you?” / “Yes, what do you do?” / “Your mother is never wrong”). You could go all galaxy brain and say this is a nod to Joyce Byers - who spends a lot of the show trying to prove she’s right - but as this is the sole scene that features Lucas’ parents, it is our only insight into their familial dynamic, and therefore our only frame of reference as to how Lucas is raised.

Dustin’s father is not mentioned in canon and it appears he was raised in a single-parent household. With no evidence to the contrary, we can go ahead and assume that Dustin’s only meaningful parental relationship is to his mother, with whom he has a strong bond.

Lonnie Byers is an undesirable and unreliable father who left Joyce and his sons before canon. When he does reappear in S01, he is proved yet again to be a grifter looking to take advantage of Will’s disappearance and assumed death. It it subtly indicated that Lonnie was abusive to Jonathan (“You’ve gotten stronger”) and, it’s possible, to Joyce or Will too. He is certainly proved to be homophobic (“Lonnie used to call him a qu**r, said he was a f*g” / “Is he?”). Lonnie may be entirely physically absent, yet his impact on Will resonates through the story, and in a figurative sense, he is very much present.

Steve’s father is, similarly to Ted, indicated to be a work-focused man who is rarely around the Harrington household. In S01 he goes on a work trip and is accompanied by his wife (“My mom doesn’t trust him” / “Probably a good thing”) which indicates he may have been unfaithful to Mrs Harrington in the past. He is a very literal absence in Steve’s life yet appears off-screen as a forceful presence (“My dad is a grade-A asshole”) that shapes Steve’s life, culminating in S03 with Steve’s job at the mall.

The biological father of Billy and Max’s step-father, Mr Hargrove, is an abusive, sexist, and dangerous man, whose impact on Billy is so severe that it renders him vulnerable to possession by the Mind Flayer and eventually results in Billy’s death. When El goes into Billy’s memories in the S03 finale, we see how Mr Hargrove used sports to bully and antagonize his son into performative masculinity, and how he often resorted to physical violence against Billy and his late mother. Our other insight into Mr Hargrove’s paternal presence is through Max, whose behaviour indicates that while she is, possibly, partly protected by her mother, she is not protected from Billy, who takes his anger with his father out on her. Max is cagey about the full impact of Mr Hargrove, but is it subtle and sufficient enough to show that he is among the most dangerous male characters in the series so far, and his onscreen absence, like Lonnie, resonates figuratively in the lives of our characters.

The final father figure to discuss is Dr Brenner. Brenner is cold and remote in that he is the PI of a government-funded underground project modeled on MK Ultra, and thus treats Eleven like the scientific subject she is. Brenner’s acts of care are only figured as manipulation tactics (such as talking quietly yet firmly to El, carrying her from the solitary confinement cell when she kills the guard, allowing her a toy lion) and cannot in good conscience be considered parental kindness. Brenner’s power over El is so potent that Kali draws on their shared memory of Brenner in S02 to capitalise on El’s powers. El perceives Brenner as a father (“Papa”). Like Lonnie and Mr Hargrove, Brenner’s absence lingers and retains a hold over El.

As we can see, you have absent but harmful figures like Dr Brenner, Lonnie, and Mr Hargrove, and absent but harmless figures like Ted, Dustin’s father, Mr Sinclair, and even, to an extent, Mr Harrington. This rough categorisation helps us see that the show’s fathers are painted into a conspicuous binary that reflects the expectations placed on our characters as they learn to become men. Are they jocks or nerds? Straight or gay? In the world of Reaganite Hawkins, society is bookended by the normal and acceptable, or the abnormal and unacceptable. In this context, fathers - and to a larger extent, masculinity - either exist passively or aggressively, and both impact our characters either overtly (Billy and Will) or subliminally (Mike and Lucas).

Father figures

The characters above stand in stark contrast to the father figures presented in the series. These include Hopper, Bob, Mr Clarke, and Steve. Quite by chance, they each represent different elements of masculinity and different figures of power in the lives of our main cast. 

Mr Clarke, for example, is representative of institutional power (a teacher) and has a strong influence over the Party in encouraging their curiosity and natural interest in science and the world around them. He is not typically masculine - he is a nerd - but he gently guides the Party through school and is shown to care for them.

Bob is representative of a found father figure in that he steps into the Byers’ life in no permanent sense (“This is not a normal family” / “But it could be”), but his respect of Joyce’s boundaries nevertheless sees him exercise a positive influence over Will (Jonathan, by Bob’s own admission, is harder to crack - understandable, given Jonathan’s past with Lonnie and, possibly, other men Joyce has occasionally had in her life). Bob’s absence - his death - is palpable, and leaves a lasting impression on Joyce, who is arguably in mourning for a good part of S03. In a similar vein, you can also make the argument that Jonathan is a father figure to Will (but that deserves its own post).

Steve represents more of a big brother role to the rest of the Party, but it is possible to see Steve as a father figure to Dustin, particularly over the course of S02. Steve drives Dustin to the dance, gives him advice on girls (a stereotypical “dad talk”), protects him, and supports him. In S03 their relationship has shifted into more of a friendship, but that does not take away from their initial dynamic that had a paternal undertone to it.

These are all examples of father figures. But the most important example of this is Hopper, and it is because he subverts this mold. Aside from the obvious link to El, in that he raises her from S02 and even becomes her “father” (Jane Hopper), it is not Hopper’s absence as a father that is important, but the absence of his daughter. Hopper is therefore an inverted male character. The absence (death) of his daughter stands in binary to the Party’s biological fathers, who are otherwise the absent ones. In contrast, Hopper is very present. Hopper is a father in the literal sense, but he is a father figure to Mike and Will: Mike, through his relationship with El and in the absence of Ted (Hopper gives Mike the “dad talk” in S03); and Will through Hopper’s relationship with Joyce. Hopper’s absent daughter is substituted most clearly by El. But in an abstract way, he also fits that role with Mike and Will too. In sum, Hopper’s absence as a biological father is redeemed when he becomes a father figure to other characters. He is therefore neither harmful or harmless, and can be seen as an outlier - but that is deliberate. It is deliberate because he and Joyce are the only parents/parental figures who know and understand the supernatural in Hawkins. I suspect that by the end of the series, Karen may be drawn into the fold too.

Mothers

I mentioned at the start that the absence of fathers highlights the role that mothers play in the series. This is best understood - and perhaps only understood - with direct reference to Karen Wheeler and Joyce Byers. Karen and Joyce have huge roles to play in how Mike and Will will come to understand themselves. They do this in spite of the male absence in Mike and Will’s lives, because a central theme of the ST story is love, especially maternal love.

Karen Wheeler is introduced as a typical housewife whose role it is to care for her children - Nancy, Mike, and Holly - and take care of the Wheelers’ home. She is in an unhappy marriage with Ted, and is unhappy enough to consider having an affair with Billy in S03. It is her sense of duty that prevents her from carrying this out. Karen is repeatedly shown to reach out to her children and frequently offers emotional support (most potently in S01-2, S03 being the sole exception [“It’s hard to keep track. You know what it’s like - summer!”]). Despite their rebuffs Karen does not give up trying to support her children. She is occasionally successful (Mike comes to her for comfort once per season, and she and Nancy are shown to have a tumultuous but altogether strong relationship, culminating in the S03 kitchen speech scene) yet, arguably, Mike and Nancy’s willfulness and growing up is a point of frustration and another source of unhappiness. While it will blow over - they are both teenagers - in the context of the show their rejection of her emotional support further reinforces her isolation. It is important to note that while Mike does crumble and come to her for comfort, this happens only in times of duress (Will’s disappearance, Will moving away). In other words, Mike does not rely on his mother for emotional support but she is still his mother, and when he does come to her it is during Mike’s emotional high points. These are always linked to Will. This directly ties Mike’s emotional development as it relates to Will to the maternal support given by his mother.

Joyce Byers is, as we all know, the resident PFLAG rep. Her relationship with Will is a central element of the story, and it is strengthened not despite Lonnie’s absence but in spite of it. It is moot to think of how Joyce and Will would have developed if Lonnie had stayed in canon, because Joyce is repeatedly shown to be driven by the love for her children. What is essential to understand about Joyce is that she is an atypical parent. She is a single working class mother whose brushes with normality (e.g. Bob) are taken away by the supernatural. As mentioned before, this further highlights the thematic divide between normality/abnormality and visible/invisible that are staples to the plot. In other words, Joyce has not found her “normal”, because Will has not yet found his normal. Until that happens, her happiness is at stake, partly because it is tied to the happiness of her children, but because Will’s overarching influence over the supernatural elements in the story is inextricably tied to his sense of belonging. Joyce, unlike Karen, has already won her child’s trust and support. Will’s story, therefore, is linked more closely to the absence of his father, whereas for Mike, it is not the absence of his father that is to be overcome, but his aversion to connecting with Karen.

Mike and Will

Taken together, I believe that when it comes to Mike and Will and their respective sexuality, it is not the fathers that will figure in their coming out, but their mothers. The show plays on the absence of fathers and places them in opposition to the presence of mothers. It is maternal love that guides Mike and Will, and it is maternal love that will protect them. This concept is only subverted by El and Hopper’s relationship, for it is El’s mother and Hopper’s daughter who is absent, therefore implying that they are contradictions, or inversions, of the show’s presentation of the familial.

Mike’s relationship with Ted is not a model. Aside from Ted’s general apathy towards his children - he demonstrably leaves the discipline and care of their children to Karen, as evidenced by every family scene in which Karen makes the decisions and Ted remains silent - he appears to have given up in connecting with Mike as his son. I mentioned before how Mr Hargrove used sports to coerce Billy into performative masculinity; the same can be said of Will, who disliked it when Lonnie took him to baseball games, and even destroys Castle Byers with a baseball bat. In contrast, Mike’s baseball bat (picked up in S01 by Nancy, who pretends to be practicing for the softball team) is in the garage, indicating it is not used, if it ever was. Arguably, Mike’s insistent and forceful personality might have bowled the passive Ted over, but Ted’s disconnect to his son is also evidenced in S01 when Ted jokes, “Our son, with a girl?” I have discussed here how this line was a blatant reference to Mike’s “nerd” status. As S03 has proved, the Duffers rely on 80s tropes to sublimate existing themes in their story. With nerds typically understood in 80s cultural discourse as sexually and romantically inexperienced social loners, Ted’s comment betrays three things: how he perceives his son; the failed expectations for his son; and how the audience is meant to understand Mike as a character. Ted does not feature in Mike’s upbringing, and I think this is deliberate for two reasons: to underscore how traditional Mike’s upbringing is; and to foreshadow that it will not be Ted’s opinion of Mike that matters in the end. It will be Karen’s.

Will’s relationship with Lonnie is, as presented onscreen in canon, non-existent. It only plays out off-screen and we have not yet seen Will and Lonnie interact in person. Regardless of where you stand with the theory that Lonnie’s abuse manifested in Will to become the Mind Flayer (I personally agree with it), Lonnie’s eventual presence in the show will be a critical moment and, likely, the climax of the entire series. As addressed above, Lonnie is indicated to be homophobic, if not abusive, to Will in the past. I won’t touch on the abuse as that is largely hearsay at the point of writing this post, however the homophobic language is canon and therefore has a bearing on how we are expected to interpret Will and his relationship to 1) other boys/men, and 2) his sexuality. Both Mike and Will have no meaningful relationship with their fathers. Yet, while Mike’s father is absent and harmless, Lonnie is absent and very much harmful. Thus, the lasting influence of his absence is made more potent by the power of Will’s memories/imagination. Having been subjected to direct homophobic bullying, Will’s sexual identity is tied very much to his relationships with older men, with Jonathan, Bob, and to an extent, Mr Clarke, as positive representations of masculinity, and Lonnie on the other end of the spectrum. To Will, Lonnie may be physically absent but he is figuratively present. As such, it will not be Lonnie’s reaction to Will’s sexuality that is important. It will be Will’s overcoming of Lonnie’s hold over him that will be the defining moment in his character arc. 

Parental absence is key to Mike and Will’s development together and individually. Both Mike and Will have to overcome their absent fathers in different ways. The key to this will be breaking free of the societal expectations placed on them, drawing strength in maternal love, and, crucially, finding love and acceptance with each other. The defining point is that despite surface-level indications to the contrary, it is not the fathers who are important: it is the mothers.

[strangertheory]

I’ll admit I’ve been very skeptical about the DID theory, but your most recent post discussing the “layers” was mind blowing to me. I’m still standing back to see how things play out, since it is a theory, but reading the first “layer”, I 100% can see that being part of the plot. The rest is a little more abstract and I’m curious to see how they would write it in if this theory is true. Thanks to you and Kaypeace for your posts on this theory, they’re interesting!

[This is a follow-up Ask referring to this earlier post.]

Thanks for Asking! I have a lot of thoughts on the possible “layers” going on in the story, but I find it challenging to put into words what my ideas are sometimes because I don’t consider myself a very good writer. I can’t promise that anything I write in this reply will make a lot of sense, but I will do my best! I’ve avoided trying to explain certain thoughts I have on the layers of the scenes because they’re complicated and I hadn’t been sure how many fans would have an interest in them since there’s already such a small number of fans interested in the interpretation that the story is about a DID System in the first place. This is yet a sub-theory of that theory! But I’m really excited that you asked. I will try to explain as best I can.

Please keep in mind that although kaypeace21 and I both theorize that Stranger Things is about a DID System (her blogpost about which characters are alters is excellent and I highly recommend it if you haven’t read it yet), we each have our own interpretations of the DID theory that are sometimes very different from each other’s. Her analyses are based on the theory that the alters, internal worlds, and traumas in Will’s mind have escaped his subconsciousness through supernatural means and have become real. I see her interpretation as one possible explanation for the events in the series and I do like that interpretation a lot. I think it’s a very compelling theory and interpretation of the events so far. But what I’m going to describe in the rest of this blogpost is not currently representative of what kaypeace21 theorizes is going on in the series. This “second layer” interpretation that I’ve considered is based on the idea that there are no real superpowers in the story at all and that they exist strictly within internal worlds or in the imagination of the storyteller.

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To explain my “second layer” theory which I also like referring to as my “story within a story” theory: I believe that some scenes (but not all scenes) that we see in Stranger Things might be metaphorical and not meant to be taken literally as they are shown, but rather seen as an artistic interpretation of certain concepts and scenarios.

Let’s look back at season 1. Imagine that a character (I’m going to say Mike because I do suspect he’s the one writing the story) is explaining the story of “what happened in 1983″ in a journal, and then a film crew had found what Mike had written down and adapted it into a series but the film crew did not know the original context of Mike’s story, and so the film crew was unaware that it was a story about Mike’s friend who has DID and that many of the characters in the story are actually alters.

“One day Will went missing and then a girl who said her name was Eleven showed up. She was scared and said that she knew Will but that he was ‘hiding’ and that she could help us find him in the ‘Upside Down.’ She told us that we absolutely couldn’t go tell any adults because it wasn’t safe and that ‘bad men’ were after her. I hid El in my closet upstairs when my mom came home unexpectedly. Mom told me that she wants me to feel like I can talk to her. (“All this that’s been going on with Will. I want you to feel like you can talk to me. I’m here for you!”) Later, Dustin and Lucas and I helped find clothes and a blonde wig for El. We made sure that my mom didn’t see El while she was at my house. We snuck into the school with El and tried to get to the radio in the AV Club Room, but Mr. Clarke found us and reminded us that we should be attending Will’s memorial assembly. Oops. (Thankfully Mr. Clarke didn’t ask too many questions about El and he believed our story that she’s a cousin from Sweden!) Attending Will’s funeral was a funny experience since we knew that he was actually alive after El channeled him on the walkie talkie (”Like Professor X!”) Eventually Nancy found out about El (”Is that my dress?”) and so did Joyce and Hopper and we worked together to put together a sensory deprivation tank because El remembered that she could enhance her ability to reach into the ‘Upside Down’ that way. We set up a sensory deprivation pool in the school gym. Joyce thanked El for everything that she was doing for Will and told her that if she ever got scared that she should let her know and that she’d be with her the whole time. El was able to reach out with her mind and find Will in the Upside Down. She found him in the Upside Down in Castle Byers, barely conscious. She told Will that his mom was coming to get him, and Will whispered back ‘hurry.’ Then El became upset as Will faded away into the darkness and her connection to him weakened. She took her goggles off and sat up in the water, panicking. Joyce held her close and told her that everything was ok. Joyce and Hopper went into the Upside Down to find Will and Hopper gave Will CPR until he regained consciousness. Then the Party got to visit Will at the hospital once he was feeling a bit better, and we told him all about the adventures that we’d had and that we’d “made a new friend” named “Eleven.” (”Like the number?”) Dustin said that El was “basically a wizard” but I insisted that she’s much more like a Yoda.”

So. I recognize that I skipped many scenes in the above example summary of how author Mike Wheeler might retell the story of “what happened in 1983,” but I skipped scenes because I want to primarily focus on the connection between El and Will that is represented in season 1 and set aside what is going on with the other characters for a moment. But if you re-read the summary that I wrote above you might realize that the way in which I described season 1 could be interpreted (at its core) as the non-fiction story of a bunch of kids finding their friend who went missing in the woods, realizing that the person they’re interacting with is no longer Will but a new individual (an alter, a distinctly separate state of consciousness and separate self), and then going on an adventure as they try to sort out the best way to “find Will” and bring him back while also becoming friends with El and protecting her from the “bad men” that she says are after her. The ‘Upside Down’ is a space in the DID System’s subconsciousness that is an internal world. The innocent creativity of Mike, Dustin, and Lucas as they try to find an outfit and a wig for El to wear to school is very sweet. The scene in which they accidentally run into Mr. Clarke when they are trying to break into the AV Club room becomes even more charming when you realize that Mr. Clarke does not appear to recognize El (but Mike, Dustin, and Lucas appear very nervous that he might realize something strange is going on!) Attending Will’s memorial service with El at their side gains an amusing layer of narrative irony, and Joyce’s protective parental affection for El gains new layers of significance. Every moment in the story changes if we imagine that the story we are seeing on screen is like a creative theater performance telling the story of “what happened” and each alter in the series is represented by their own individual actor on screen.

Are there moments in season 1 that break this “second layer” theory that I’ve considered? Arguably there are. I consider this a theory-in-progress. But the key concept of this “second layer” theory is that the story is perhaps not meant literally but is meant as a story that is artistically representative of the experiences that alters in a DID System might have. Many films and tv shows that portray fictional characters with DID approach telling their stories as an outside observer might and without taking into account the individuality of each alter, alters’ experiences in internal worlds, or the way that alters might have different understandings of our reality when they’re very new to the outside world and are fronting (controlling the body) for the first time. Perhaps Stranger Things is taking a new approach.

You’re probably wondering how I carry this “second layer” theory into season 2 and especially season 3 in which we finally see Will and El in more scenes together. I might write a longer blogpost about it at some point. But I believe that, if I were to assume that my “second layer” theory is correct (it’s just one of a few very different theories I’ve considered), that it is possible that significant portions of season 3 take place in an internal world or a dream in which characters that exist in Will’s life are now NPCs or alters. This would make Will’s statement “What if we locked him out here with us?” incorrect. What if Will should have technically said “What if we locked him in here with us?” What if “the Gate” is specifically the doorway through which alters need to pass in order to front in the body in the external world? As I’ve mentioned in a few other posts: I theorize that El is a gatekeeper alter. I suspect that Hopper is also a gatekeeper and that he has been mentoring El. In summary: I often wonder if Will is not always entirely “awake” and if many scenes are taking place in a liminal space between his conscious and subconscious, between reality and his dreamlike experiences in an internal world.

You might be interested in reading a summary of my observations regarding how Will and El do not interact with each other in any scenes in season 1 or season 2 directly in this older blogpost that I made about the parallels between El and Will. I think it might interest you a lot and provide more context to my “second layer” theory if you haven’t read this older post before. I am infinitely fascinated by how Will and El parallel each other so closely and yet rarely interact. I think that this is an intentional consequence of whatever secrets the writers have in store for us in future seasons and I cannot wait to find out what those secrets are. I hope that the connection between El and Will is going to be explored more in season 4.

How might we expect the layers to be peeled back in the series itself if the writers decided to reveal this “second layer” existed beneath the current story? I think that they could reveal things to us a few ways if this “second layer” does exist. Perhaps we could see a character meeting with a therapist and a medical professional would openly name the condition and describe what the characters have been dealing with in a way that provides very new “second layer” context to earlier events in the series. (Sidenote: Back in the 80s it was called “multiple personality disorder” and we might have characters in the series refer to it that way since it takes place in the 1980s, but that term is outdated and it should be referred to as “dissociative identity disorder” or “DID” today.) Perhaps we might see them artistically or literally represent concepts like co-consciousness (two alters being conscious and aware in the body at the same time) or have characters transform back and forth into each other while sitting in a chair in order to represent them taking turns fronting in the same body.

Or perhaps this “second layer” theory that I’ve described is insisting on too much artistry and metaphor and the real “second layer” is that the vast majority of the story so far has taken place in internal worlds and Hawkins itself is an internal world. (I have wondered if this might be why Hawkins doesn’t exist in the real world even though other locations referenced in Stranger Things do exist: Chicago, Indianapolis, etc.) If that were the case maybe we’ll see the shared body of the DID System for the first time in a future season which may (or may not) resemble any of the actors we’ve seen portray characters so far. But from everything that we have seen so far I theorize that the host is most often known by the name Will in the external world. (We've had both Will Byers and William "Billy" Hargrove canonically referred to as hosts. And we have "Will the Wise" who I suspect is also an alter.)

Thank you for your Ask! I hope that I was able to explain some my thoughts in a vaguely coherent way. I really should do a larger post breaking down every single scene between seasons 1 and 3 and how this “second layer” interpretation of the story could apply, but I haven’t had the time and I’ve been wary of doing it since I’m not sure how it would be received. But maybe I’ll do that sometime soon if enough people have an interest in it.